1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for detecting the shape of a workpiece.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, techniques for allowing a robot to perform an operation of, for example, taking out a workpiece from a container or the like in which a plurality of workpieces are stored in different positions and orientations have been proposed.
In order for a robot to perform such an operation, it is necessary to quickly and accurately detect three-dimensional shapes of the workpieces arranged in the container or the like. To this end, various techniques have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-115783 discloses a method for detecting three-dimensional position and orientation including the steps of determining depth edges and extracting contours, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-246631 discloses a technique for quickly detecting a workpiece having a curved shape.